1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to wheel and tire assemblies. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to wheel and tire assemblies including airless tires presenting certain performance characteristics of pneumatic tires.
2. Related Art
Mobile irrigation systems include elevated water conduits supported by mobile towers. Such mobile towers are mounted on wheels that propel the towers along the ground to be irrigated. The wheels typically include pneumatic tires that require periodic maintenance, including adjusting air pressure, repairing tires that develop holes or other damage, and replacing worn or damaged tires that are beyond repair.
Because irrigation systems and similar agricultural equipment are typically used in fields or other remote locations, monitoring the tires for problems and reaching the tires to perform maintenance and repairs can be inconvenient or difficult. If a tire loses air pressure and is not repaired in a timely manner, damage to the tire, to the equipment mounted on the tire, or both may result.
One solution to the challenges presented by the use of pneumatic tires involves using wheels without tires. While this approach addresses most of the problems of tire maintenance, repair and replacement, it presents other challenges. Tireless wheels, for example, are rigid and experience greater ground penetration than a pneumatic tire, thereby creating ruts or otherwise disturbing the ground more than a pneumatic tire. The problems associated with ground disturbance are compounded with the use of irrigation systems, where the ground is moist and more susceptible to disturbance rutting, and where the irrigation system wheels may traverse the same path multiple times. Similar problems exist for tractors, automobiles, and other vehicles that typically use pneumatic tires.
Accordingly, there is a need for a solution which overcomes the limitations described above.